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1492
Columbus Lands in the New World
Columbus tried to sail to India but landed in the Americas. There was more land for Europe to explore and inhabit. -
Jamestown founded
Jamestown was founded because Rhode Island failed and England wanted land in the New World. Many people died in the colony, and Jamestown nearly collapsed. This allowed England to gain resources from the New World, and it caused many people to move to the New World for new oppportunities. -
Pilgrims land in Plymouth
The Mayflower accidentally goes off course and lands in Plymouth. The Pilgrims and "Strangers" on the boat start to disagree. The Mayflower Compact was signed to make a temporary government and to make sure a war did not break out. This is important because it was one of the first examples of self-government from the colonist. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a war where the French and Native Americans fought against the British and the colonists. During the war, Salutary Neglect, where the colonies mostly governed themselves, occurred. After the war, England was left in debt. The Proclamation of 1763 stated that the colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian mountains, so the colonists started to get upset. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan presented by Benjamin Franklin that stated that the colonists should join together and make one government to rule over all the colonies to fight in the French and Indian War. The colonies did not agree to join together. This shows that the colonies did not want to be ruled by any government outside of their own colony. -
Treaty of Paris 1763
The Treaty of Paris 1763 was signed by the French to surrender to the British at the end of the Seven Years War. The French gave up all of their land east of the Mississippi River. The result was that the French left North America, and the British gained land in the New World. It also left the British in debt. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 did not allow colonists to settle to the west of the Appalachian Mountains. This made the colonists very upset, and some of them decided to disobey the king. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed to pay off England's war debt. It taxed the colonists, but the colonists did not want to be taxed. The colonists protested and rioted until it was repealed. The colonists started to get angry and protest the King's rule. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act forced colonists to house soldiers because the king needed people to keep the colonists in check. The colonists were very upset, and New York refused to follow it. The New York Assembly was punished. The colonists became upset and began separating from the King's rule. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend act enforced taxes on imports into the colonies. The colonies found clever ways to avoid the taxes. Some also protested and rioted. The colonies continued to get mad at the King, so they started to oppose the King's rule by trading among each other. The colonies were metaphorically saying that they did not need Britain. They could take care of each other. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occurred after people were irritating a British soldier. The soldier hit on of the boys, and a bell rang signifying a fire. Everyone ran out to were the soldier was, and the soldier feared for his life. He called fore reinforcements. One of the soldiers shot their gun, and the bullet killed somebody. The other soldiers started to fire their gun killing more people. This is important because it shows how tense the situation is. One mistake led to many people dying. -
Tea Act of 1773
The Tea Act lowered the price for tea, but it made so that only allowed the East India Company to sell tea to the colonists. This made it so that the East India Company could chose any price they wanted. Even though the price was lowered, the colonists were still upset about the taxes on the tea. This lead to the Boston Tea Party. It also shows the colonist really wanted the taxes to be repealed. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a result of the Tea Act of 1773. Many colonists gathered and dressed as Native Americans. They snuck onto three ships that were full of tea, and they emptied all of the tea into the ocean. This is important because it sparked the American Revolution. -
Intolerable (Coercive) Acts
The Intolerable Acts were made to control the colonies and to prevent a rebellion. Intolerable means you cannot stand it. Coercive means you are forcing someone to do something. The Intolerable Acts resulted in more rebellious behavior from the colonists. -
First Continental Congress
Representatives met to discuss solutions to problems in the colonies during the Continental Congresses. Their first meeting was made to avoid war with the British. They decided to protest and boycott British goods to damage the British economy. They protested by placing sanctions on Britain. They boycotted imports of British goods. This shows that the colonists did not want to go to war originally. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was made to decide how the colonies were going to defend themselves against the British. They made the Continental Army, and they named George Washington as the commander of the army. This shows how the colonists realized they were going to have to fight a war. -
Battle of Lexington
The colonists fired guns at British soldiers who were marching to Concord to confiscate the colonists weapons. The colonists were trying to prevent the British from confiscating the weapons. This was the beginning of the American Revolution. -
Battle of Concord
The British attacked the North Bridge, but the Minutemen protected it. The British retreated to Concord. Different British troops found almost no weapons in Concord, so they started to withdraw to Lexington. The Minutemen shot at them from behind cover all the way to Boston. This made the British very mad. This sparked the start of the American Revolution. -
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American Revolution (Bunker Hill to Yorktown)
Between June 1775 and October 1781 the Patriots persevered through battles at Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga, Brandywine, and finally Yorktown. The Patriots received help from the French. In the last battle, the French and the Patriots had a successful surprise attack on the British in Yorktown, -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was made by the colonists to make peace with Britain. King George completely ignored it, which made the colonies continue the war. -
Common Sense By Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine made this article to say that America needed to fight. The King was being abusive to them, and they needed to free themselves from him. This encouraged many colonists to join the fight against the King. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence stated why the colonists were leaving Britain. The colonists thought that this was respectful. It also calls the King a tyrant. This confirmed that the colonists were willing to go to war. -
Treaty of Paris (1783)
This ended the American Revolution. The British surrendered, and the colonies obtained their independence. The colonies also obtained land and were able to finally govern themselves. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion was caused by the worsening economic problems in America. The government said they would pay the soldiers and their families. The government did not pay the soldiers and their families, and the government taxed them. The farmers were also upset because they fought in the war and did not get paid. Their farms were in poor shape, so they could not make much money either. Shay led the rebellion, and they stopped people from entering The Supreme Court in Massachusetts. -
Congress ratifies the U.S Constitution
The Articles of Confederation made a weak government, so officials decided they needed a new, stronger central government. After some debating, the Constitution was ratified. This gave the federal government much more power, like being able to overrule State Laws, having power over a standing army, and they can put taxes on the colonists. Some citizens do not like the Constitution. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The new government put a tax on whiskey to make money. Many farmers needed revenue from whiskey, and they did not want to pay the tax. The started a rebellion, and they threatened to attack Pittsburgh. They hunted down a tax collector and killed military men. George Washington tried to resolve the rebellion peacefully, but the rebels declined. He used military force to stop the rebels. This may make other citizens afraid of the federal government becoming a tyranny. -
XYZ Affair
The US broke their treaty with France, which was made after the American Revolution. The treaty stated that if Britain Attacked the US or Italy they would help each other. When Britain attacked Italy, the US stayed neutral and di not help. The US wanted to speak to France's king, but France would not let them unless they paid a lot of money. The US broke another point of the treaty by signing a treaty with Britain. France attacked US ships starting an undeclared war called the Quasi-War. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was between Britain and America. America declared war on Britain because Britain was forcing American sailors to fight in the British Navy. Despite having a weaker army and less resources, the American army managed to make a draw with Britain. Neither one benefited from the war, since the treaty did not say either one have to give anything up. Britain stopped abducting American sailors.